Sarasota Police's outreach barbecue draws criticism

Sunday

Dec 22, 2013 at 6:14 PM

By ELIZABETH JOHNSONelizabeth.johnson@heraldtribune.com

You would not think that a picnic with barbecue and music could be controversial, but when it comes to the community of Newtown and the officers that patrol there, even the simplest gesture can become a lightning rod.

Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino said her idea for a barbecue block party is intended to strengthen community relationships, but rank-and-file officers say it sends a wrong message about a dangerous situation.

It all started with an incident last month in which a Sarasota Police officer, attempting to make an arrest in Newtown, got in a fight with a known drug dealer.

What happened next varies based on who tells the story.

Officer Ken Goebel was conducting surveillance about 9:30 a.m. Nov. 26 when he saw what appeared to be a drug transaction on the street corner at 23rd Street and Leon Avenue.

In Goebel's narrative of the events preceding the arrest of Peter Porter, 36, the officer details his struggle to detain Porter. Goebel said Porter took his police radio, punched him in the head and removed his handcuffs from his utility belt. Goebel's holster and gun also were stripped from him, though how they were pulled from his belt is unclear.

A crowd gathered, yelling for Goebel to release Porter and leading the officer to grab his Taser as a precautionary measure.

The tussle lasted about five minutes until another officer arrived on scene, helping Goebel control Porter.

Porter is charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell, resisting an officer with violence and depriving an officer of communication.

Erica Grady, the grandmother of Porter's child, sees it a bit differently.

She said after Porter visited his daughter at her nearby home, an officer “assumed he was doing something wrong” and went after him.

Arrested approximately 20 times in Sarasota County since 1999, Porter is known to local authorities.

Grady said Porter, who has been bitten several times by police canines, has a fear of police, and was screaming about being scared.

She said the crowd was not asking Goebel to let go of Porter, but insisting that he not hurt Porter.

Arriving at the scene, DiPino said she was shocked by the community's reaction to an officer attempting to arrest a known drug dealer, in a departmental email sent last week.

DiPino and three employees went door-to-door in the Newtown neighborhood, finding that residents are “prisoners in their own homes,” trapped by surrounding crime.

“We made efforts to build relationships and trust,” DiPino wrote. “We did a lot of listening.”

To continue those community policing efforts — a method DiPino has emphasized in her first year on the job — the police department is hosting a block party complete with hot dogs, popcorn, chips and drinks. Local businesses are donating a bounce house and DJ.

But the barbecue is drawing criticism from police union members, who are concerned that the gesture sends the wrong message by shifting focus from the dangerous situation in which the officer was placed.

Sarasota Police Sgt. Mick McHale, president of the Southwest Florida Police Benevolent Association, said he has received numerous complaints about the event and a perceived lack of support from administrators. He said no member has voiced support for the block party.

“The No. 1 priority should always be the safety of the public and the safety of the officers,” McHale said. “The chief should be making it abundantly clear that any threat to the officers of the Sarasota Police Department will not be tolerated.”

He said members are also concerned about the safety of law-abiding citizens who are seen talking with police at the event by community troublemakers.

“If I'm uncomfortable coming forward with information I have, how is this social gathering giving me more confidence when I know the same individuals that are wreaking havoc will be present and observing the activities?” McHale asked.

Mayor Shannon Snyder, an outspoken critic of DiPino, said the event seems to be an attempt to appease a community that endangered an officer.

“I know the difference in policing and placating,” said Snyder, a former Sarasota County Sheriff's deputy. “How much more insulting can you get to these guys? When you do your job I'm not going to support you, I'm going to reward the people who viciously attacked you with a barbecue.”

But DiPino said she hopes the gesture will facilitate positive responses in the future when an officer makes an arrest or needs a witness to disclose pertinent information.

“When we have the support of the residents of our community, it will help our officers,” DiPino said in an email. “Citizens will look out for our officers and the Sarasota Police Department won't be a stranger to the community.”

Residents in Newtown seem receptive to the idea. Several people said that they plan to attend the event.

Grady, who has lived at the corner of 23rd Street and Leon Avenue for three years, said there is a lack of trust between officers who patrol the area and residents who feel bullied.

“I think it would help if police get to know people around here better,” Grady said. “They assume because you live in this neighborhood you're selling drugs. That's not what it is.

“If they have respect for us as citizens, I would be willing to have a relationship with them.”

The barbecue block party is planned for Jan. 4 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. near 23rd Street and Leon Avenue. Community partners interested in assisting with the event can call Officer Danny Robbins at 954-7056.

“This is an event for officers to get to know the communities they protect and for residents to get to know our officers,” DiPino said via email. “It is much easier to deal with a person you know and have a relationship with at a time of crisis. The community is our partner in fighting crime.”